The Torch is Passed.
Chapter 1
It was a perfectly cleat sunrise in the land of Hyrule. The colors of blue, then green, then yellow, followed by orange and pink filled the sky. Not a cloud was in the sky. Everything was going according to routine. Including my son getting up at the crack of dawn, just like he always does. Cody looked out to Hyrule Field from his balcony. A gentle breeze flew through his short blonde bangs falling over his eyes. He had my color of blonde hair, and Zelda's turquoise eyes. He smiled as he saw the sun peek up from over the mountains. "All right!" He said to himself.
Cody ran across the hall to our room. Zelda slept in a pink nightgown with a peach over shirt. I just wore my blue night pants. Zelda and I were peacefully sleeping when Cody ran in our room and started shaking me, trying to wake me up. "Dad! Wake up, Dad! C'mon, you promised me! Wake up!" I could hear Zelda softly giggling.
"Link, your son's awake." I smiled a little bit without opening my eyes. Cody was still trying to wake me up.
"Hey, you give birth to him, he's you're son." This all happened while Cody was still trying to wake me up.
"Come on, Dad! Get up!"
"Alright, alright. Let's go." I finally said. I started getting out of bed and followed Cody to the door, rubbing my face.
"Thank you! As soon as Cody was out of the room, I closed the door on him and went right back to bed. DAD!" As soon as I fell right back into bed, Cody came back in.
"Come on, Dad. You promised me." Cody whined as he climbed into the bed between Zelda and me. Zelda rolled over and hugged Cody.
"Good morning, Sweet heart."
"Morning, Mother."
"So, your father promised to take you around Hyrule today, huh?"
"Yeah! Come on, Dad, don't you remember?" I just laid there, with my face buried in my pillow.
"How could I forget? You only reminded me five hundred times last night." Cody looked at me, with my face still buried in the pillow. Zelda giggled.
"... DAD!"
"Whoa! Easy! There's no need to scream in my ears! They're as sensitive as yours are!" I rubbed my ears.
"Well, it was the only way to get you up." I looked at Cody with a look of discuss, and he gave me his innocent child face. The one he knows that I just can't stay mad at.
"Okay, okay. Go get dressed, and we'll go." Cody cheered and ran to his room. I made a loud yawn before Zelda had a chance to say good morning to me.
"Well, good morning." She said with a smile. I giggled and kissed her.
"Morning." Zelda put her silk robe on and started brushing her hair while I went into the bathroom and started washing.
"So, where exactly do you plan to take Cody? You have a meeting today with the Zoras. I tried to talk as I brushed my teeth. That always drives Zelda nuts. Link, you're foaming at the mouth. Go spit!" I obeyed her and came back out.
"I totally forgot all about that. Oh, well. I guess I'll just take the rugrat with me."
"Link, why did you promise him this in the first place?"
"Well, he's a kid. I thought he'd forget if I held it out too long." I said as I tried to buckle my boots.
"You know very well that once Cody is told something, he won't forget."
"Yeah, that's about all that he got from you." I smiled and Zelda threw a pillow at me. The next second, Cody came to the door.
"Dad, come on!" I threw him the keys to the royal stables where our horses, Zelda's stallion, Goldmain, my mare, Epona, and Cody's pony, Sprout.
"Hey, Cody, bring Epona around, you're drivin'. I said. Cody caught the keys with a cheer and ran outside. You do know that I ment that sarcastically!" I yelled after him. Zelda giggled and leaned on my arm.
"Oh, Link, does he remind you of anyone?"
"Not that I can think of."
"Are you kidding? He's exactly like you. He's inherited your curiosity and sense of adventure."
"And that's exactly why I don't want him wondering off without me." Zelda sighed.
"Link, you're being too over-protective of him."
"I am not! I just ... I don't want him getting into the trouble I got into as a kid."
"I'm sure the more you push, the more he'll follow."
"Somehow, I think you mean that sarcastically." We laughed and kissed each other good bye.
As time passed, I took Cody to see almost everything. We went to all the towns that have been built in the past ten years, and found out that there were amazing secrets that were being held. Cody loves to read and learn about Hyrulean history. So we stopped by all the book stores. I had to make sure that nothing was mentioned about the Hero of Time, or the Triforce. Next, we went to the mountains where the Gorons are. I introduced Darunia to Cody since the last time they saw each other, Cody was a baby. But I think Cody could have done without the hug. As soon as we got to the forest, Cody immediately wanted to see Saria. About the only thing Cody knows about my past is that I grew up in the forest. Our last stop for the day was at Lake Hylia.
"What are we doing here, Dad?" Cody asked as I dismounted Epona.
"You'll see." I answered, helping him down. The water of the lake was so clear. The Zoras make sure that it is purified to swim in, even drink. This was definitely my favorite place in all of Hyrule to be. Every day, around noon time, when the sun is at its highest, the water does something incredible that I wanted Cody to see.
"I like the way it smells so nice here."
"Yeah, the Zoras do a good job keeping it clean."
"What is it that you wanted to show me, Dad?"
"Well, you're gonna get to see in about five, four, three, two, one!" With that, on the wall like structure behind us, the sun's rays reflected off of the lake and made beautiful patterns of colors and shapes.
"Whoa, cool!" Cody yelled. I looked down at him and smiled.
"I took your mother to see this on our first date." Cody looked at me.
"Did she like it?" I laughed at that question.
"I think so. I think she liked it enough to say 'yes' when I asked her to marry me." I answered with a giggle.
"Dad, how did grandfather and grandmother react when Mother told them she wanted to marry you and not a prince?" This question, I was hesitant to answer. The only reason King Harold and Queen Hilda allowed me to marry Zelda was because I saved all of Hyrule. But I didn't want Cody to know that.
"Well, there was nothing your grandparents could do. Your mother and I loved each other far too much for anyone to pull us apart. Of course, it took awhile for Harold and Hilda to realize what Zelda saw in a forest rat." I explained while skipping a stone over the lake.
"Whoa! How'd you do that?"
"You like that? This is how I taught your mother. Hold it between your index finger and thumb, and shoot. Cody tried to skip the stick and failed. Don't worry you'll get it, Son. I winked at him. I could sense the time was drawing near for me to go to the Zoras. Because I'm the Hero of Time, and the god half of me is the God of Time, I can feel what time it is with out being told, or looking at anything. Cody, come on. We need to stop by Zora's Domain." I said. Cody gave me a look of reluctance, and got back on Epona.
It took about an hour to reach the Zora domain. Although some Zoras live in the towns with Hylians and some Gorons, the Zora Domain is the Zora capital of Hyrule. When we got into the door, there were Zoras everywhere. It seemed to be more populated then I remembered. I reached the top of the Domain where Queen Ruto and her husband Chico lived.
"Why, Link! It's so good to see you! You look different outside of the council meetings." Chico said, shaking my hand.
"I could say the same about you." Just then, Ruto came up.
"Why, Link. What brings you here today?"
"Oh, just a little visit. I felt a grip on my leg. It was Cody, behind me. Chico saw him before Ruto did.
"And who is this?"
"Oh, you remember my son, Cody from his ritual when he was born." I said, putting a hand on Cody's shoulder. Ruto smiled at him
"Why yes, I remember. The last time I saw you, you were just a little tadpole." Cody hid behind me. Just then, I heard a little girl call out 'mommy' behind them. It was a little Zora girl. She looked exactly like Ruto. And she looked to be the same age as Cody.
"Mommy, what's taking so long?" Chico smiled.
"Ah, Link, this is our daughter, Aquita."
"Aquita, this is Prince Link of the Hylians and his son Prince Cody." I stuck my hand out to shake. She just looked at me.
"Well, the pleasure's all mine. I looked at Cody and nudged him. Cody, say 'hello'." Cody walked up to her. They both just stared at each other for a minute.
"Ew, you're a boy!"
"Ew, you're a girl!"
"Ewwww!" They both said. Ruto, Chico and I all laughed.
"Why don't you children go off and play?" Ruto suggested. Aquita looked at her mother.
"Play? Together?" Aquita and Cody looked at each other.
"Ewwww!" They said together, again.
"Aquita, why don't you show young Cody to your room?" Aquita sighed at her father's request.
"Yes, Daddy. Come on, I'll show you my room." Cody looked at Aquita and then at me.
"... Dad ..." He said, looking at me as if asking 'do I have to?'
"Cody ..." I responded. He sighed.
"Okay. Maybe I can pull the heads off of your dolls!" Cody said as he ran to Aquita's room.
"Come back here, you boy!" She yelled, running after Cody. Ruto, Chico and I laughed.
"Kids today." I added. Ruto sat down with Chico sitting right next to her.
"So, Link, what happened? You finally want to get back together?" I really hoped that was a joke she was asking me. I took a minute of hesitation and answered with a little bit of nervousness.
"Heh heh, no, I'm still happily married to Zelda." I pointed to my wedding ring.
After about two hours, it was time for me and Cody to say good bye. "Cody, it's time to go!" Cody came out with make up all over his face. Ruto and Chico chuckled while I tried to hold back my laughter.
"Dad, look what that girl did to me!" I giggled a little over the sight of my son being given a make over from a Zora princess.
"Why, thank you, Aquita. Zelda and I were trying to get Cody to experience a new look." Cody stared at me.
"Dad ..."
It took until sun set to reach Market City. The royal castle is just beyond Market City. Cody looked over the horizon to a point where we didn't visit. "Hey, Dad, what's over there?" I looked over to where Cody was looking. It was the Gerudo Valley. I didn't take Cody there because even though the Gerudos have made their peace with all the other races, they still have very little respect for men. Cody didn't need to experience any of that.
"It's nothing, Son. Just keep walking."
"But Dad, we didn't go over there." What's over there? You and Mother go over there all the time, I see you."
"Nothing! I didn't realize that I yelled so loud, that Cody jumped. I sighed and looked at him. Look, that place is no where for a child like you to go. It's none of your concern. Your Mother and I go over there because it is one of our duties. And your duty is to just be seven years old." I said. I tussled his hair.
"Why can't I go over there?"
"It's not safe for a child like you to go there. Promise me you'll never go there."
"But Dad –"
"Promise me!" Cody and I looked at each other for a second. With a sigh of reluctance, he agreed.
"I promise."
"Good. Now let's go home."
The walk home was a silent one. Cody and I didn't speak a word. I could tell that Cody was still thinking of the Gerudo Valley. Like Zelda said, he has my curiosity.
"I have to know what's so dangerous that my dad doesn't want me to know about." He thought to himself. Cody has ways of making his way out of the castle, which I still have yet to discover. He walked as quietly as he could down the hall. Zelda and I were in the main first floor study, reading together. I took my glasses off and put one of the arms in my mouth. Yes, I have glasses. My vision isn't what it used to be.
"You know what I was thinking?" Zelda turned to me.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing. I just like to sit here and do put this in my mouth." Zelda giggled. Cody, who was outside the door rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath.
"Geez, Dad. You are so lame." He crawled his way over to the main doors. Before he could reach the knob, Impa caught him.
"Master Cody, what do you think you're doing? You're a mess!" Impa looked down upon him with her hands on her hips. Cody couldn't do anything but look at the ground.
"Um ... I was just looking for ... my Hyrulean History book."
"It's upstairs in your room, like always."
"Then that explains why I can't find it." Impa rolled her eyes.
"I think you were trying to sneak out."
"N-no I wasn't!" Cody said in his most innocent voice. Impa grabbed him by the arm.
"I think I better clean you up and tell your parents."
"Um, do you think you can just clean me up, and not tell my parents?"
That night, Cody struck again. Only this time, instead of using the main doors, he tied his bed sheets together and climbed out his balcony. The guards weren't paying attention, other wise, they would have seen him.
"Ha! King me!" One of the guards said. Cody rolled his eyes and made his way to Market City.
"Perfect! Now to get to – Cody stopped. There was a sound right behind him in a trash can in the middle of the ally. W-who's th-there?" He asked. All of a sudden, a shadowed figure flew out and knocked Cody into the next wall.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
To be continued ...
Chapter 1
It was a perfectly cleat sunrise in the land of Hyrule. The colors of blue, then green, then yellow, followed by orange and pink filled the sky. Not a cloud was in the sky. Everything was going according to routine. Including my son getting up at the crack of dawn, just like he always does. Cody looked out to Hyrule Field from his balcony. A gentle breeze flew through his short blonde bangs falling over his eyes. He had my color of blonde hair, and Zelda's turquoise eyes. He smiled as he saw the sun peek up from over the mountains. "All right!" He said to himself.
Cody ran across the hall to our room. Zelda slept in a pink nightgown with a peach over shirt. I just wore my blue night pants. Zelda and I were peacefully sleeping when Cody ran in our room and started shaking me, trying to wake me up. "Dad! Wake up, Dad! C'mon, you promised me! Wake up!" I could hear Zelda softly giggling.
"Link, your son's awake." I smiled a little bit without opening my eyes. Cody was still trying to wake me up.
"Hey, you give birth to him, he's you're son." This all happened while Cody was still trying to wake me up.
"Come on, Dad! Get up!"
"Alright, alright. Let's go." I finally said. I started getting out of bed and followed Cody to the door, rubbing my face.
"Thank you! As soon as Cody was out of the room, I closed the door on him and went right back to bed. DAD!" As soon as I fell right back into bed, Cody came back in.
"Come on, Dad. You promised me." Cody whined as he climbed into the bed between Zelda and me. Zelda rolled over and hugged Cody.
"Good morning, Sweet heart."
"Morning, Mother."
"So, your father promised to take you around Hyrule today, huh?"
"Yeah! Come on, Dad, don't you remember?" I just laid there, with my face buried in my pillow.
"How could I forget? You only reminded me five hundred times last night." Cody looked at me, with my face still buried in the pillow. Zelda giggled.
"... DAD!"
"Whoa! Easy! There's no need to scream in my ears! They're as sensitive as yours are!" I rubbed my ears.
"Well, it was the only way to get you up." I looked at Cody with a look of discuss, and he gave me his innocent child face. The one he knows that I just can't stay mad at.
"Okay, okay. Go get dressed, and we'll go." Cody cheered and ran to his room. I made a loud yawn before Zelda had a chance to say good morning to me.
"Well, good morning." She said with a smile. I giggled and kissed her.
"Morning." Zelda put her silk robe on and started brushing her hair while I went into the bathroom and started washing.
"So, where exactly do you plan to take Cody? You have a meeting today with the Zoras. I tried to talk as I brushed my teeth. That always drives Zelda nuts. Link, you're foaming at the mouth. Go spit!" I obeyed her and came back out.
"I totally forgot all about that. Oh, well. I guess I'll just take the rugrat with me."
"Link, why did you promise him this in the first place?"
"Well, he's a kid. I thought he'd forget if I held it out too long." I said as I tried to buckle my boots.
"You know very well that once Cody is told something, he won't forget."
"Yeah, that's about all that he got from you." I smiled and Zelda threw a pillow at me. The next second, Cody came to the door.
"Dad, come on!" I threw him the keys to the royal stables where our horses, Zelda's stallion, Goldmain, my mare, Epona, and Cody's pony, Sprout.
"Hey, Cody, bring Epona around, you're drivin'. I said. Cody caught the keys with a cheer and ran outside. You do know that I ment that sarcastically!" I yelled after him. Zelda giggled and leaned on my arm.
"Oh, Link, does he remind you of anyone?"
"Not that I can think of."
"Are you kidding? He's exactly like you. He's inherited your curiosity and sense of adventure."
"And that's exactly why I don't want him wondering off without me." Zelda sighed.
"Link, you're being too over-protective of him."
"I am not! I just ... I don't want him getting into the trouble I got into as a kid."
"I'm sure the more you push, the more he'll follow."
"Somehow, I think you mean that sarcastically." We laughed and kissed each other good bye.
As time passed, I took Cody to see almost everything. We went to all the towns that have been built in the past ten years, and found out that there were amazing secrets that were being held. Cody loves to read and learn about Hyrulean history. So we stopped by all the book stores. I had to make sure that nothing was mentioned about the Hero of Time, or the Triforce. Next, we went to the mountains where the Gorons are. I introduced Darunia to Cody since the last time they saw each other, Cody was a baby. But I think Cody could have done without the hug. As soon as we got to the forest, Cody immediately wanted to see Saria. About the only thing Cody knows about my past is that I grew up in the forest. Our last stop for the day was at Lake Hylia.
"What are we doing here, Dad?" Cody asked as I dismounted Epona.
"You'll see." I answered, helping him down. The water of the lake was so clear. The Zoras make sure that it is purified to swim in, even drink. This was definitely my favorite place in all of Hyrule to be. Every day, around noon time, when the sun is at its highest, the water does something incredible that I wanted Cody to see.
"I like the way it smells so nice here."
"Yeah, the Zoras do a good job keeping it clean."
"What is it that you wanted to show me, Dad?"
"Well, you're gonna get to see in about five, four, three, two, one!" With that, on the wall like structure behind us, the sun's rays reflected off of the lake and made beautiful patterns of colors and shapes.
"Whoa, cool!" Cody yelled. I looked down at him and smiled.
"I took your mother to see this on our first date." Cody looked at me.
"Did she like it?" I laughed at that question.
"I think so. I think she liked it enough to say 'yes' when I asked her to marry me." I answered with a giggle.
"Dad, how did grandfather and grandmother react when Mother told them she wanted to marry you and not a prince?" This question, I was hesitant to answer. The only reason King Harold and Queen Hilda allowed me to marry Zelda was because I saved all of Hyrule. But I didn't want Cody to know that.
"Well, there was nothing your grandparents could do. Your mother and I loved each other far too much for anyone to pull us apart. Of course, it took awhile for Harold and Hilda to realize what Zelda saw in a forest rat." I explained while skipping a stone over the lake.
"Whoa! How'd you do that?"
"You like that? This is how I taught your mother. Hold it between your index finger and thumb, and shoot. Cody tried to skip the stick and failed. Don't worry you'll get it, Son. I winked at him. I could sense the time was drawing near for me to go to the Zoras. Because I'm the Hero of Time, and the god half of me is the God of Time, I can feel what time it is with out being told, or looking at anything. Cody, come on. We need to stop by Zora's Domain." I said. Cody gave me a look of reluctance, and got back on Epona.
It took about an hour to reach the Zora domain. Although some Zoras live in the towns with Hylians and some Gorons, the Zora Domain is the Zora capital of Hyrule. When we got into the door, there were Zoras everywhere. It seemed to be more populated then I remembered. I reached the top of the Domain where Queen Ruto and her husband Chico lived.
"Why, Link! It's so good to see you! You look different outside of the council meetings." Chico said, shaking my hand.
"I could say the same about you." Just then, Ruto came up.
"Why, Link. What brings you here today?"
"Oh, just a little visit. I felt a grip on my leg. It was Cody, behind me. Chico saw him before Ruto did.
"And who is this?"
"Oh, you remember my son, Cody from his ritual when he was born." I said, putting a hand on Cody's shoulder. Ruto smiled at him
"Why yes, I remember. The last time I saw you, you were just a little tadpole." Cody hid behind me. Just then, I heard a little girl call out 'mommy' behind them. It was a little Zora girl. She looked exactly like Ruto. And she looked to be the same age as Cody.
"Mommy, what's taking so long?" Chico smiled.
"Ah, Link, this is our daughter, Aquita."
"Aquita, this is Prince Link of the Hylians and his son Prince Cody." I stuck my hand out to shake. She just looked at me.
"Well, the pleasure's all mine. I looked at Cody and nudged him. Cody, say 'hello'." Cody walked up to her. They both just stared at each other for a minute.
"Ew, you're a boy!"
"Ew, you're a girl!"
"Ewwww!" They both said. Ruto, Chico and I all laughed.
"Why don't you children go off and play?" Ruto suggested. Aquita looked at her mother.
"Play? Together?" Aquita and Cody looked at each other.
"Ewwww!" They said together, again.
"Aquita, why don't you show young Cody to your room?" Aquita sighed at her father's request.
"Yes, Daddy. Come on, I'll show you my room." Cody looked at Aquita and then at me.
"... Dad ..." He said, looking at me as if asking 'do I have to?'
"Cody ..." I responded. He sighed.
"Okay. Maybe I can pull the heads off of your dolls!" Cody said as he ran to Aquita's room.
"Come back here, you boy!" She yelled, running after Cody. Ruto, Chico and I laughed.
"Kids today." I added. Ruto sat down with Chico sitting right next to her.
"So, Link, what happened? You finally want to get back together?" I really hoped that was a joke she was asking me. I took a minute of hesitation and answered with a little bit of nervousness.
"Heh heh, no, I'm still happily married to Zelda." I pointed to my wedding ring.
After about two hours, it was time for me and Cody to say good bye. "Cody, it's time to go!" Cody came out with make up all over his face. Ruto and Chico chuckled while I tried to hold back my laughter.
"Dad, look what that girl did to me!" I giggled a little over the sight of my son being given a make over from a Zora princess.
"Why, thank you, Aquita. Zelda and I were trying to get Cody to experience a new look." Cody stared at me.
"Dad ..."
It took until sun set to reach Market City. The royal castle is just beyond Market City. Cody looked over the horizon to a point where we didn't visit. "Hey, Dad, what's over there?" I looked over to where Cody was looking. It was the Gerudo Valley. I didn't take Cody there because even though the Gerudos have made their peace with all the other races, they still have very little respect for men. Cody didn't need to experience any of that.
"It's nothing, Son. Just keep walking."
"But Dad, we didn't go over there." What's over there? You and Mother go over there all the time, I see you."
"Nothing! I didn't realize that I yelled so loud, that Cody jumped. I sighed and looked at him. Look, that place is no where for a child like you to go. It's none of your concern. Your Mother and I go over there because it is one of our duties. And your duty is to just be seven years old." I said. I tussled his hair.
"Why can't I go over there?"
"It's not safe for a child like you to go there. Promise me you'll never go there."
"But Dad –"
"Promise me!" Cody and I looked at each other for a second. With a sigh of reluctance, he agreed.
"I promise."
"Good. Now let's go home."
The walk home was a silent one. Cody and I didn't speak a word. I could tell that Cody was still thinking of the Gerudo Valley. Like Zelda said, he has my curiosity.
"I have to know what's so dangerous that my dad doesn't want me to know about." He thought to himself. Cody has ways of making his way out of the castle, which I still have yet to discover. He walked as quietly as he could down the hall. Zelda and I were in the main first floor study, reading together. I took my glasses off and put one of the arms in my mouth. Yes, I have glasses. My vision isn't what it used to be.
"You know what I was thinking?" Zelda turned to me.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing. I just like to sit here and do put this in my mouth." Zelda giggled. Cody, who was outside the door rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath.
"Geez, Dad. You are so lame." He crawled his way over to the main doors. Before he could reach the knob, Impa caught him.
"Master Cody, what do you think you're doing? You're a mess!" Impa looked down upon him with her hands on her hips. Cody couldn't do anything but look at the ground.
"Um ... I was just looking for ... my Hyrulean History book."
"It's upstairs in your room, like always."
"Then that explains why I can't find it." Impa rolled her eyes.
"I think you were trying to sneak out."
"N-no I wasn't!" Cody said in his most innocent voice. Impa grabbed him by the arm.
"I think I better clean you up and tell your parents."
"Um, do you think you can just clean me up, and not tell my parents?"
That night, Cody struck again. Only this time, instead of using the main doors, he tied his bed sheets together and climbed out his balcony. The guards weren't paying attention, other wise, they would have seen him.
"Ha! King me!" One of the guards said. Cody rolled his eyes and made his way to Market City.
"Perfect! Now to get to – Cody stopped. There was a sound right behind him in a trash can in the middle of the ally. W-who's th-there?" He asked. All of a sudden, a shadowed figure flew out and knocked Cody into the next wall.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
To be continued ...